PRE-PLEISTOCENE TOPOGRAPHY,
LITHOLOGY AND GLACIAL DRIFT THICKNESS
OF LIVINGSTON AND SHIAWASSEE
COUNTIES, MICHIGAN

Thesis Io:- II'm Degree of M. S.
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Roderick Kent Moore
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PRE-PLEISTOCENE TOPOGRAPHY, LITHOLOGY AND
'GLACIAL DRIFT THICKNESS OF LIVINGSTON AND

SHIAWASSEE COUNTIES, MICHIGAN

BY

RODERICK KENT MOORE

AN ABSTRACT

Submitted to the College of Science and Arts of Michigan
State University of Agriculture and Applied
Science in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of

MASTER OF SCIENCE
Department of Geology

1959

Approved

 

ABSTRACT

 

On the basis of nearly 1100 water wells, oil and gas wells,
and coal borings that penetrated the bedrock below the glacial drift
in Shiawassee and Livingston Counties, Michigan, maps have been
drawn depicting the bedrock configuration, the bedrock lithology and
the variation in glacialfd'rift thickness.

The glacial drift thickness in Livingston County decreases
steadily to the west from 300 feet along. the eastern border of the
caunty to an average of 100 feet along the western border. In Shiawassee
County it averages about 100 feet in thickness except east of Corunna
where it thins to the extent that bedrock is exposed. It appears that
the thickness of the drift was inﬂuenced by the bedrock topography,
filling most lows and thinning over highs resulting in the relatively
level topography of today.

Two main pre-glacial river valleys have been outlined.
One of them is located in the extreme southern part of Livingston
County and flowed to the east, partially in accordance with the divide
caused by the Howell Anticline which diagonals the county from south-
east to northwest. The other main stream headed in the northwest

corner of Livingston County, flowed initially to the west, then curved

in a 180 degree path around the surface expression of the nose of the

northwest plunging Howell Anticline in the south—central portion of
Shiawassee County. It then passes through the village of Durand and
curves to the north to what was apparently the Saginaw Lowland
drainage system. Both pre-glacial valleys tend to avoid areas of
surface sandstone and follow areas of shale.

It is possible that the Bayport Formation is present on
both sides of the Howell Anticline and that the Parma Sandstone may
be present immediately beneath the drift in Shiawassee County.

About 80 percent of the report area is underlain by
shale, 19 percent by sandstone and the remainder by limestone and

sandy shale.

PRE-PLEISTOCENE TOPOGRAPHY, LITHOLOGY AND
GLACIAL DRIFT THICKNESS OF LIVINGSTON AND

SHIAWASSEE COUNTIES, MICHIGAN

BY

RODERICK KENT MOORE

A THESIS

Submitted to the College of Science and Arts of Michigan
State University of Agriculture and Applied
Science in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of

MASTER OF SCIENCE

Department of Geology

1959

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ACKNOW LEDGEMENT S

The writer is indebted to Professor C. E. Prouty, head
of the Department of Geology of Michigan State University, under whose
guidance this work was conceived and completed, and who was a
constant source of encouragement and counsel. He also wishes to
thank the members of the Michigan Geological Survey for making
available their files of well records; and Professor Justin Zinn and
Dr. William Hinze, both of the Michigan State University Geology
Department, for suggestions and reviewing the manuscript. Special
thanks is extended to the water well drillers of Shiawassee and Liv-
ingston Counties, Michigan, without whose cooperation and help this
work would have been impossible. A list of these different drillers
appears in the appendix.

The writer wishes to acknowledge the financial support
for this study made available through the National Science Foundation

program for Summer Fellowships for Graduate Teaching Assistants.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION .

NATURE OF REPORT. . . . .

SOURCES OF INFORMATION .

BASES FOR CONSTRUCTION OF MAPS

SCOPEOFWORK . . . . . .

LOCATION, PHYSIOGRAPHY AND DRAINAGE OF

REPORT AREA . . . . . .
PREVIOUS WORK . . . . . .
STRATIGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . .
PLEISTOCENE . . . . . . . .
GENERAL STRUCTURE OF THE AREA
BEDROCK TOPOGRAPHY . . . . .

HOWELL ANTICLINE . . . . .

PRE -GLACIAL DRAINAGE CHANNELS

OTHER FEATURES . . . . .
GLACIAL DRIFT THICKNESS . . . .

BEDROCK LITHOLOGY . . .

INTERRELATIONSHIPS OF TOPOGRAPHY , LITHOLOGY AND

STRUCTURE. . . . . . . . .

STRUCTURE AND TOPOGRAPHY

10

11

14

15

16

18

20

22

24

27

27

TOPOGRAPHY AND LITHOLOGY .

STRUCTURE AND LITHOLOGY

SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY

CONC LUSIONS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

APPENDIX

29

31

34

33

35

37

Figure

ILLUSTRAT IONS

 

Figures

Index map of Michigan, showing location of area .

a.
Plate s

Bedrock topography of Livingston County

Bedrock topography of Shiawassee County

Glacial drift thickness map of Livingston County

Glacial drift thickness map of Shiawassee County

Lithologic map of Livingston County . .

Lithologic map of Shiawas see County . .

Page

INTRODUCTION

NATURE OF REPORT

The configuration of the bedrock immediately below the
glacial drift in Michigan has long been a source of curiosity. A
general picture of the bedrock t0pography was gained through
contouring the bedrock using the information gained from rather
widely spaced oil wells. To get as much information as possible
the author additionally contacted all water well drillers in the two
counties and from them sought specific locations of wells drilled
that penetrated the bedrock; thickness of the glacial drift at these
particular locations; and, when recorded or remembered by the
driller, the lithic character of the initial bedrock formation encountered.
Utilization of this information has given a more complete insight as to
the topography of the bedrock, the till thickness, and general lithology

of the rock underlying the drift.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

The sources of data for this paper were: (1) oil well logs
obtained from the Michigan Geological Survey; (2) water well logs
from the published reports and water well files of the Michigan

Geological Survey, Ground Waters Division; (3) public water well files

of the United States Geological Survey, and; (4) unpublished records

collected by a field canvass of water well drillers.
BASES FOR CONSTRUCTION OF MAPS

The county bedrock topography maps, drift thickness maps
and bedrock lithology maps are constructed on county base maps to
the uniform scale of one inch equals one mile. The land surface
altitude of each well, when not given in a description of the borings,
was determined by interpolation from the United States Geological
Survey topographic maps which cover the entire area of the work and
are contoured in 5, 10 or 20 feet intervals.

Although some error was undoubtedly introduced by
interpolation of land surface elevation, and again when the specific
locations of over 90% of the wells is based entirely upon the memory
of the respective driller, it is believed the sum of these errors is
not appreciable enough to alter the general bedrock drainage inter-
pretation.

Information gained from well logs and by personal commun-
ication with water well drillers was plotted to a degree of accuracy as
high as possible under the conditions of map scale and verbal description.
Over 1000 wells were used. Each of the wells has been plotted and

the bedrock elevation indicated. Thus, the basis of the writer’s

interpretation can be shown and, as other wells are drilled, used to
increase the accuracy of any similar endeavor.

A contour interval of 25 feet was chosen to depict the
bedrock t0pography. A lesser interval is not feasible because of the
rapidly changing elevations in localized areas and a greater interval
subtracts from the accuracy 'of interpretation. In the isopach map of
the glacial drift a contour interval of 20 feet was considered the
optimum.

Solid lines are used to indicate contours in regions of
abundant control. Broken lines indicate areas of little control.
Broken lines with question marks show areas of very little control.
It must be r'embered that the well locations were drilled for the
express purpose of finding oil, water or coal and therefore are
not located geographically for best results in this study. Undoubtedly,
as additional information is obtained, corrections will be required.
It may be said that the contours define the rock surface and drainage
channels in a general way and can serve as a guide for further and
more intensive exploration which is necessary to fully outline the
pre-glacial erosion surface.

The maps depicting the lithic character of the
formations immediately below the drift are based on only a portion
of the total wells. In many cases neither the water well drillers nor

their logs recall the rock type encountered.

SCOPE OF WORK

There have been investigations of bedrock t0pography in
several other regions of Michigan, but Shiawassee and Livingston
Counties have not been studied in their entirety, nor in detail. This
study is a portion of a larger current program in the Geology Depart-
ment Qovering Hillsdale, Branch, Calhoun, Jackson, Ingham and Eaton
Counties. These studies will cover an area of investigation from
the Ohio border to the northern. boundary of Shiawassee County.

This, in turn, borders an area to the north where the bedrock topo-
graphy was contoured in the process of thesis work by E. C. Rhodehamel
(1951), a former student of Michigan State University. It is hoped

that this work will eventually be a portion of a rigorous examination

of the entire bedrock surface of Michigan, a full understanding of

which is lacking.

Outside of scientific curiosity, enlightment in the
following categories was hoped for prior to the compilation of data:

(1) an aid or guide in any future geophysical exploration such as
seismic work in determining the bedrock level below the drift; (2)

to map the locus of water-bearing gravel beds;--which proved
impossible due to the lack of information on well logs; (3) to provide
data for a map that water well drillers could use for better information

on depths to bedrock, thereby being an economic aid when casing

lengths, drilling time and other aspects are considered; (4) to gain
a better understanding of the boundaries of the different rock types
found below the drift; (5) to determine the configuration of pre-
glacial drainage channels, and; (6) to determine any correlation
between structure and pre-glacial drainage, or structure and type of

rock.

LOCATION, PHYSIOGRAPHY AND DRAINAGE
OF REPORT AREA I

The report is restricted to the counties of Shiawas see
and Livingston, which are located in the central south-eastern part
of the lower peninsula of Michigan, northwest of Detroit.

The physiography of Shiawassee County exhibits a generally
undulating, morainic surface in the southern half of the county and,
till and lake plains in the northern portion of the county. Its soils
have been developed from moraines, outwash and lacustrine deposits
of fine sand and clay. The surface relief varies from 960 feet in
sec. 35, T5N, RlE to 640 feet in sec. 6., T8N, R3E along the
Shiawassee River.

The physiography of Livingston County includes esker
systems, as reported by Leverett (1915, pp. 212-214), located along
the western border of the county. Leverett also describes an esker

trending north from the city of Howell towards the village of Oak Grove.

 

MICHIGAN

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LIVINGSTON

 

 

 

 

Numerous kames are present, such as the prominent one southwest
of Howell that serves as the site for the Howell Sanitarium. Kettle
and knob topography is displayed in the southern-most portion of the
county and lacustrine topography and resulting deposits are described
by Newcombe (1935, p. 1185, fig. 2), in the central southwest part
of the county. These varied glacial and lacustrine features are
interspersed through a general morainic topography with relief
varying from 1220 feet in sec. 13, TZN, R6E to 830 feet in sec. 6,
T4N, R5E.

Drainage in Livingston County is northward to the
Shiawassee River, southward to the Timon River and westward to
the Grand River. In Shiawassee County the drainage is northward
to the Shiawassee and Misteguay Rivers and westward to the Looking-

glass and Maple Rivers.
PREVIOUS WORK

The earliest important papers pertaining to the bedrock
topography of the state were written by Spencer (1891—1894). He
described a large pre—glacial river channel that extended from the
western side of the state, easterly through the middle part of the state
to Saginaw Bay. Spencer named this river the Huronian River and
believed that it was a tributary to the Laurentian River which was

entrenched in the basin of Lake Huron.

Later, Mudge (1897) wrote of two additional tributaries
to the Huronian River. One of them, the Gypsum River, ﬂowed
southward and drained the north-central part of the Southern Peninsula,
while the other, the Hastings River, ﬂowed northward from Kent and
Barry Counties.

The first comprehensive bedrock contour map of the
Southern Peninsula was drawn by Lane (1899). This prototype has
been but little changed in recent years, with bedrock contour maps
by Newcombe (1933), Grand and Pringle (1943), largely conforming
to the map drawn by Lane.

There have been many papers written on bedrock topography
in the central portion of lower Michigan, but very little concerning
the counties of this report. Newcombe (1933, p. 208) compiled
water well and oil well data, and drew a map of the bedrock con-
figuration in the central part of Livingston County. He showed that
the bedrock topography has a general ”high" extending from the
southeastb the northwest in the vicinity of Howell and he postulated
that this was the bedrock surface reﬂection of the Howell Anticline. He
believed that the Howell Anticline had exercised much control upon the
pre-glacial drainage of the area.

The post-glacial drainage of Shiawassee County has been
given some attention by Bretz (1953, p. 376), who described a large

glacial river channel found south of Owosso and Corunna, extending

across the county. Treatment of other pre-glacial drainage or

topography is lacking, however.

10

STRAT IGRAPHY

 

The sedimentary rocks of the Southern Peninsula of
Michigan are downwarped into a large synclinal trough which is
termed the Michigan Basin. The Basin is formed of nearly concentric
belts of strata that, as a general rule, are successively older in
age as you progress outward from the center of the basin which is
near the geographical center of the Southern Peninsula. Shiawassee
and Livingston Counties are to the southeast of the center of the
basin. According to Martin (1957) and earlier work by Ehlers,
Landes, Cohee and Martin (1936), the glacial drift in these counties
is underlain by strata of Mississippian and Pennsylvanian age. The
younger rocks are found mainly in Shiawassee County. A brief
review of the generalized stratigraphic section of those rocks located
immediately below the drift in the report area is as follows:
Pennsylvanian System
Saginaw Group
Saginaw Formation. --this formation consists of
sandstones, shales, coal measures and lime
stones that are of a cyclical nature.
Parma Sandstone. --quartzose, white, water bearing
sandstone, phases of which are conglomeratic.

The lowest formation of the Pennsylvanian
System.

11
Missis sippian System
Meramec-Osage Group
Bayport Formation. --white, light gray, dark gray
and bluish limestone, dolomitic limestone and
dolomite with local lenses of sandstone. Very
irregular in distribution.
Kinderhook Group
Napoleon Sandstone or Upper Marshall Formation. --
white to gray, non-fossiliferous, pyritiferous
sandstone. An important water-bearing
formation.
Lower Marshall Formation. --white to gray or red
micaceous, fossiliferous sandstone that grades

downward into sandy red and blue shale.

Goldwater Shale. --gray, red and green shale with
lenses of limestone and dolomite.

Berea Sandstone. --fine grained, micaceous, gray,
yellow or brown sandstone depending upon the
prevalence of pyrite and degree of weathering.

Much of the general stratigraphy above is based on the
works of Newcombe (1932), Kelly (1936), Martin et a1 (1936), and

Tarbell (1941). OutcroPs of Saginaw sandstones and shales are found

in Shiawassee County (Plate 2).
PLEISTOCENE

Excepting the six outcrop areas in Shiawassee County,
the glacial drift immediately overlies the aforementioned formations

everywhere in the report area. The glacial drift was deposited

12
during the Wisconsin glacial advance of the Pleistocene epoch. It
is believed by some (Leverett, 1915, p. 72; Martin et. a1. 1936)
and others, that there is a pre-Wisconsin drift, possibly Illinoian,
that preceded it. Leverett (1915, p. 289) describes the older till
as being darker in color, more stony and generally very well cemented.
He states that it is the ”hardpan" encountered and logged by most
water well drillers. This ”hardpan" has been mentioned to the
author by water well drillers on numerous occasions.

According to Leverett (1915, pp. 196-197) the southern
portion of Livingston County is an interlobate area between the
southwestwardly moving Saginaw ice lobe and the Huron-Erie ice lobe.
Much of the area north of this interlobate tract is covered principally
by a till plain of the Saginaw ice lobe. Also present are outwash
plains and inland lake sediments as described by Newcombe (1935,

p. 1184).

The Pleistocene in Shiawassee County is also a result
of the Saginaw ice lobe, which at one time occupied the wide valley
of Saginaw Bay. Martin (1958) describes the glacial activity responsible
for the deposition of the morainic system in the southern half of the
county. In the northern half the sediments are largely till plain
overlain in some locales by the lacustrine deposits of Glacial Lake
Saginaw. Leverett (1915, p. 254) reports esker systems southwest

of the city of Owosso.

13

The Cary substage of the Wisconsin glacier marked the
retreat of the ice of the Saginaw lobe (Bretz, 1953, p. 359). Antevs
(1934, pp. 304-311) states that this substage culminated about 27,500
years ago, while Hough (1958), through work with Carbon 14 dating,
believes it was much more recent.

The thickness of the glacial drift varies from 330 feet in
the NE 1/4, sec. 24, T3N, R6E of Livingston County to complete
absence in several locations of T7N, R3E of Shiawassee County. It

generally consists of sand, gravel and boulder clay.

14

GENERAL STRUCTURE OF THE AREA

 

The structure in the report area is a segment of the
overall structure of the Michigan Basin. Feneman (1938, pp. 451-
452) states that the rocks of the Michigan Basin dip very gently from
three positive areas: (1) the Canadian Shield, especially that part
of it in Wisconsin and Northern Mchigan; (2) the Cincinnati Arch,
and; (3) the Kankakee Arch. From these localities younger beds
crop out and dip at small angles toward three synclinal basins, one
of which is the Michigan Basin. The Michigan Basin is elongate
in a northwest-southeast direction and contours on the top of different
formations in the basin show some faults and/ or folds trending in
the same direction. In some cases they are believed related to
pronounced stresses occuring during the downwarping of the basin
and also related to the movement in adjoining areas, or other secondary
causes (Newcombe, 1933, pp. 102-113). Pressure causing the down-
warping seems to have been applied from the northeast as most Of the
folds have their steep sides to the southwest.

The presence of additional structural conditions in
Livingston Counw has been known for some time. R. A. Smith
(1912, p. 164) referred to the possibility of a "very pronounced

arching of the strata in the vicinity of Fowlerville. " Newcombe (1928,

15
p. 215) termed the structure the Howell-Owosso Anticline and illus-
trated it with a generalized sub-surface map drawn on the top of the
Berea formation. This paper was followed by another (Newcombe,
1933) which gave a much more detailed account of the structure.
Kilbourne (1947) wrbte an unpublished thesis on the origin of the
Howell structure. Following is a brief review of the works of these
authors.

The structure extends from the southeast corner of

Livingston County diagonally across the county to the northwest
corner and possibly into Shiawassee County where it may be related
to the arching of the strata near Owosso. The strike of the rocks
is north 26 degrees east, with the regional dip to the northwest in
conformation with the structure of the Michigan Basin. The Howell
Anticline also plunges in the same direction. Structure contour
maps, based on oil well data, have suggested about 150 feet of closure
near the southeast corner of the city of Howell; also that the structure
is an asymmetrical plunging anticline with the southwest flank dipping
300 to 560 feet per mile and the northeast side dipping 100 to 120
feet per mile. The southwest side of the structure is apparently
faulted. It is believed that the faulting started in the basement rocks
and that the present "high" is an anticline resulting from the normal

faulting .

l6

 

BEDROCK TOPOGRAPHY

One of the primary purposes of this paper was to gain
an interpretation of the bedrock surface of Shiawas see and Livingston
Counties, with the main goal of outlining preQ-glacial drainage
channels and noting the bedrock surface expression of the Howell
Anticline. Well over 1000 wells that penetrated the bedrock were
used in constructing the maps. While this seems a formidable
figure, many additional borings would bring about a much more
accurate interpretation of the bedrock topography. However, with
the information gathered, some interesting aspects of the pre—

I
Pleistocene erosion surface have been mapped.

HOWELL ANTICLINE

No obvious bedrock surface espression of the Howell
Anticline may be observed. The sub—surface crest of the structure
has never been positively located, but the general trend of the structure
follows a sinuous course from the southeast to the northwest in
Livingston County, about two miles south of the city of Howell.
Its trend at the northwest corner of the county is somewhat in doubt,
though according to Newcombe (1933, p. 208, fig. 38) it may bend

northward and pass near Owosso. Newcombe (1933, p. 208, fig. 37)

17
collected water well data and along with existing oil and gas well
information, constructed a map of the bedrock surface in central
Livingston County. He stated that there was a definite reﬂection
in the bedrock surface of the Howell structure.

This writer, using additional information and control,
believes that any expression of the ”high" that traverses the county
is negligible. A generally high, linear element can be postulated as
extending from the SE 1/4 sec. 7, T2N, R5E, thence into sec. 31
of T3N, R3E. However, it can be seen on Plate 1 that southwest of
the above points the bedrock surface steadily increases in elevation,
with local ﬂuctuations, while northeast of the locations the bedrock
elevation decreases." It seems plausible that locations given above
are no higher in elevation than would be expected under the circurn-
stances of the prevailing bedrock topography that has been revealed.
It does seem quite probably, however, that at one time there was a
significant topographic "high" that might have been present and had
a dominant controlling effect upon the pre-glacial drainage of the
area, as none of the trunk streams outlined cross the general lows
of the structure.

Some suggestion of surficial expression of the Howell
structure can be postulated in Shiawassee County. In T5N, R3E
and T5N, RZE contouring by the author has outlined an enclosed high

that could be interpreted as the nose of the northwest plunging anticline.

18
It appears that throughout the rest of the area studied, pre-Pleistocene
erosion has removed all other surface reﬂection of the structure that

might have existed.
PRE-GLACIAL DRAINAGE CHANNELS

Two rather prominent pre-glacial channels have been
outlined. One of them rises in the southwest corner of Livingston
County and is shown as the projected low through the lower tier of
townships (Plate 1). It is quite evident in the village of Pinckney
and throughout the rest of this paper it will be referred to as the
Pinckney Channel. The other conspicuous valley begins in T4N,

R3E of Livingston County (Plate 1), and is temporarily bst as it
leaves the county. It is believed that this channel continues across
Northeast Ingham County and is contiguous with the channel outlined
in sec. 36, T5N, RlE of Shiawassee County (Plate 2).

This channel then proceeds to the northeast and passes
through the village of Durand. The course of the channel is in
question north of Durand, but there is some suggestion that it continues
northward along the eastern edge of the county. It. may possibly
leave Shiawassee County. Hereafter, in this report, this pre-glacial
river valley will be referred to as the Durand Channel.

Two other less defined channels are to be seen in

Shiawas see County. One of them begins in the highlands northwest of

19
the village of Vernon, continues through Corunna and becomes quite
pronounced east of Owos so. It then follows a generally northward
direction towards the Saginaw Lowland drainage area but its position
is indefinite near the northern border of the county because of lack of
control. This channel, hereafter termed the Owosso, can very
possibly be correlated with a bedrock valley mapped by Rhodehamel
(1951, Plate 1) in Saginaw County. The particular channel mapped
by Rhodehamel exists in sec. 36, T9N, R3E of Saginaw County,
just north of Shiawassee County.

The second, rather poorly defined channel, apparently
drained the highland west of Owosso. Its path can be followed through
the northwest quarter of Shiawassee County. It enters the southwest
corner of Saginaw County and apparently connects with the prominent
valley mapped there by Rhodehamel. The rock surface map of
Shiawassee County was drawn without any foreknowledge of the
channels depicted in Saginaw County by Rhodehamel and the results
are therefore unbiased as to direction and configuration. The results
are not coincidental and supports the general accuracy of the bedrock
interpretation in these two areas.

Further examination of the two adjacent thesis areas
points out the possibility that the Durand Channel, which is shown leaving
the county of Shiawassee in a northeast direction, could be tributary to

the valley contoured in T10N, R6E of Saginaw County by Rhodehamel.

20

Several short tributaries draining the surrounding
highland areas join the Durand Channel throughout its course. They
are readily seen to be feeders to the trunk stream, their gradients
being steeper, the valleys narrower, and joining in the characteristic
manner with the obtuse angle of juncture upstream. The trunk
stream in Livingston County, the Pinckney Channel, is joined by
short tributaries in the western part of the county. There is a large
valley to the north that merges with the main channel in Pinckney.
This could well be a very important feeder, but lack of control
diffuses its route. However, it is a very pronounced low and un-
doubtedly within it was located the valley bottom of a stream that

drained much of the southwest quarter of Livingston County.
OTHER FEATURES

The bedrock tOpographic surface of the remaining report
area is mainly one of gently undulating surface, much like the present
topography. There are local variations, however, that should be
noted. Beneath the city of Howell there is a rather extensive low
area with about 80 feet of apparent closure. North of the city are two
more areascﬂ‘enclosed low topography. Seemingly, there are no exits
from these areas to give foundation to the premise that the lows are
the result of stream erosion, unless it is through the region to the

east where well data is seriously lacking. There could be several

21
explanations for the occurrence of these lows; glacial erosion,
groundwater erosion, wasting away causied by meteoric waters,
erosion inﬂuenced by structure, and others. Another low area is
located about 6 miles- southeast of Howell. According to Newcombe
(1935, p. 1185) this area was once the site of an ancient inland lake.

The topographic low under the village of Durand possibly 1
was caused by glacial plucking of the bedrock after the valley was
formed by stream erosion, as it is not plausible that the river
would erode a depression 80 feet lower than the elevation of its bed
several miles downstream.

If closer control were available, relatively accurate
observations might be made as to the pre—glacial erosion stage of
the region studied. However, such general evidence as, the relatively
narrow valley floors, the gradient generally exceeding 5 feet per
mile, the sparse drainage system, infer that the area was in the
youthful stage when overrun by the glacier.

The regional bedrock topography shows a general decrease
in elevation in Livingston County from west to east, and in Shiawassee
County a decrease from the south in all directions. The highest
bedrock elevation is found in sec; 30, TIN, R3E (Plate 1) and the

lowest elevation in sec. 4, T8N, RlE (Plate 2).

22

GLACIAL DRIFT THICKNESS

 

The glacial drift over Livingston and Shiawas see Counties
varies in thickness from 0 to 330 feet. The drift reaches its maximum
thickness alcng the eastern and northeastern borders of Livingston
County (Plate 3) and is thinnest in the east-central part of Shiawassee
County (Plate 4).

On a regional basis the thickness of the drift has been
decidedly inﬂuenced by the bedrock topography. It is thickest where
bedrock elevations are lowest and thins over bedrock highs. It
fills pre-glacial valleys so completely that no surface evidence of
the valleys exist. On the present surface there is no indication of
the Durand or Pinckney Channels , but the glacial drift thickness
contours are obviously closely allied with the bedrock contours
outlining the two trunk streams. This is readily discernible by
comparing Plates 2 and 4. Also some of ths small tributaries can
be recognized through the iSOpach maps of the drift.

Inﬂuence of topography on the drift thickness may be
noticed locally, however. Many of the small, isolated "highs” and
"lows" that have been contoured on Plates 3 and 4 are the result of
the drift topography. An example is found in the center of sec. 24,
T2N, R4E of Livingston County. The thickness of over 200 feet is the

result of a large kame.

23

It should be understood by the reader that the map
depicting the drift thickness was drawn with the express purpose of
illustrating the regional picture. Plates 3 and 4 do not reveal the
local effects of the undulating topography and therefore it
is suggested by the author that Plates 1 and 2 should be used in
conjunction with present topographic maps to obtain a more accurate
picture of the thickness of the drift in areas not in juxtaposition to

wells used in this report.

24

 

BEDROCK LIT HOLOGY

Of nearly 1100 wells and borings plotted on Plates 1 to 4,
only 600 wells sipplied data pertaining to the bedrock lithology (Plates
5 and 6). The lithic character of the bedrock was not recorded, or
remembered, on a large portion of the total.

The lithology of the bedrock immediately below the
drift consists of the following rock types in order of decreasing
areal extent: shale, sandstone, limestone and sandy shale.

The most persistent rock type by far is shale, which
is encountered below the drift in about 80 percent of the study area.
Sandstone makes up the bulk of the remaining 20 percent, with
limestone and sandy shale being of slight areal extent.

Most of the shale in Livingston County (Plate 5) is Cold-
water Shale, (Martin, 1957), and nearly all of the shale in Shiawassee
County (Plate '6) is Saginaw Shale. The extensive tract of sandstone
along the western third of Plate 5 most closely follows the trend of
the Marshall sandstone as does the sandstone underlying the city of
Corunna (Martin, 1957). The geologic ages of the other sandstone
bodies on Plate 6 are unknown, but, again, they may be lenses of
sand within the Saginaw Formation. The regions of sandy shales are

believed to be facies changes of the encompassing formations.

25

It was not a purpose of this paper to delineate geologic
boundaries of formations within the area studied and the following
discussion is not an attempt to do so. However, with nothing more
to go on than the lithic character of the bedrock there are some
interesting observations that can be made and should be pointed out.

Martin (1957) drew the geologic map of Michigan from
the compilation of oil and gas well data, which is profuse in some
areas and lacking in others. Livingston County has 78 oil and gas
well locations and these were utilized by Martin in arriving at the
geologic boundaries in the county. The lithologic map drawn by the
author (Plate 5) was arrived at through use of the 78 oil and gas
wells, plus over 200 water wells, therefore giving a somewhat more
complete insight as to the overall character of the rock surface
beneath the drift. The map drawn by Martin outlines a small area
of Bayport Formation in the extreme northwest corner of Livingston
County. Whether this ”Bayport" is limestone or another facies of
the Bayport is not known. The author recorded no limestone in this
area.

It can be seen on Plate 5, though, thattwo rather extensive
areas of limestone were found to the southeast and east, respectively.
Taking into consideration the trend of the Howell Anticline and the fact

that the southwest ﬂank is steeply dipping and the northeast ﬂank is

26
gently dipping, it appears structurally feasible that the two elongated
bodies of limestone could be Bayport Limestone; their respective
positions from the axis of the nnticline are in accordance with
structure, the lithology is correct, and their bedrock surface outcrop
is elongated sub-parallel to the anticline.

Objection to the possible Bayport age of the limestone is
that the sandstone both to the northeast of the northern-most limestone
body and southwest of the limestone area passing through Fowlervzille,
has been designated as the Marshall Sandstone, which is older and
would not be expected to occur further out on the limbs of the anticline.
However, these sandstones might be the Parma Sandstone, which
is younger than the Bayport Formation, and would therefore be expected
to occur stratigraphically between the Bayport formation and the younger
Saginaw Formation that abuts and overlies it as according to Martin
(1957). The sandstone and limestone locality southeast of Pinckney
may be related in the same manner.

The discussion above is only an observation made by the
author and could he totality erroneous. However, this work does
bring to light the nature of some stratigraphic problems that exist in
the area. It suggests further the advisability of using water well data
in addition to oil and gas well data in the construction of sub-surface

geologic maps in the Michigan Basin area.

27

INTER-RELATIONSHIPS OF TOPOGRAPHY,

 

 

LITHOLOGY AND STRUCTURE

Topography, lithology and structure are enmeshed in
a cause and effect relationship which has had a bearing on the results
perceived in this study. These topics will be discussed under headings

that best express their interrelationships.
STRUCTURE AND TOPOGRAPHY

Although little surface expression of the Howell Anticline
remains, its effect upon the pre-glacial drainage can be seen. There
are no trunk valleys that transect the northwest—southeast axis of
the anticline, nor are any of the outlined tributaries oblivious of it.
The eastern extension of the Piikney Channel does seem to be an
exception to the above statement (Plate 1), but it is felt by the writer
that this can be explained. According to maps by Martin et a1 (1936,
1957) and Cohee (1944), the Howell structure has been nearly breached
in this vicinity, most likely by erosion. This has exposed, or almost
exposed, the Berea-Bedford formations. This being the case, it does
not seem unreasonable that the Pinckney Channel would adopt the

breached portion. of the anticline as its river bed.

28

Another observation concerns the Durand Channel,
which apparently had its headwaters in northwestern Livingston
County. From here the channel heads westward for a short distance
into Ingham County then bends to the north and connects with that
part of the valley seen in sec. 36, T4N, RIE (Plate 2). Its course
then gently bends until it is trending t) the east. In other words,
the channel has made an almost 180 degree change in course.
Examination of Plates 1 and 2 show that the course of the channel
abuts the nose of the highland to its right throughout this change.
It is postulated that the channel here follows the contour of the nose
of the plunging Howell Anticline. The channel then follows an
eastward course to the village of Durand, thus staying south of the
bedrock highland in the vicinity ofIOwosso. To the author this
'suggests that there is no continuous structural high through
Livingston and Shiawassee Counties, rather, it shows the two highs
are possibly not connected- -at least in the region of the Durand
Channel. Possibly the Shiawassee "high" is related to some of the
anticlines to the north, or northwest, such as the Mr. Pleasant
structure, rather than the Howell structure.

The regional structure also effects the direction of
drainage. It can be seen that the Durand and Owos so Channels,

and the channel near Carland (Plate 2), all ﬂow generally to the

29
north. This effect of the Central Lowland drainage system which
was directed toward the present day Saginaw Bay (Rhodehamel,
figs. 1 and 2). The Pinckney Channel in Livingston County was
not {effected in the same manner and its direction of drainage to the
east is understood by reference to a map of the bedrock surface of
the Lower Peninsula of Michigan (Rhodehamel, fig. 5) that shows the
central part of western Livingston County as the drainage divide in
the study area. The inﬂuence of this divide and the low bedrock

elevationb the east explain the course of the channel.
TOPOGRAPHY AND LITHOLOGY

The lithology of the bedrock surface may have given
direction to the drainage channels. Whether the following discussion
‘ is based on coincidence, rather than genetic relationship is uncertain,
but an observation of some interest can be made.

When comparing Plates 5 and 6 against Plates 1 and 2,
it is obvious that almost the entire course of each channel is found
in shale and seemingly is inﬂuenced by sandstone bodies.

The Pinckney Channel has its headwater tributaries
located within the sandstone in the southwest corner of Livingston
County. It then is traced through a shale region to the village of

Pinckney. Incidentally, in this area the writer has mapped a

30
continuous sandstone body (Plate 5) that extends from the southern
county line through Pinckney, then up to Rush Lake, a distance of
about 6 miles. This lithic area was drawn on the basis of seven
wells that penetrated sandstone, two of them near Pinckney and
five of them located near Rush Lake, about 3 miles distant. Therefore,
with the lack of closely spaced control points, there could be an
unrnapped shale area bisecting the sandstone.

As the Pinckney Channel approaches this area it bends
sharply to the south, and though it does cross the sandstone body
(as mapped), it seems to have at least been diverted. It then follows
very closely the course of the present day Huron River throughout
the rest of its path, constantly in an area of shale.

Durand Channel also appears to have its headwaters
in an area of sandstone (Plate 1). Its course then follows the semi-
circle previously described. It maintains its route in the shale that
lies between the two large sandstone areas in Shiawassee County
to such an extent that the argument of coincidence seems lacking.
The channel then crosses a strip of sandstone west of Durand and
continues its path to the north in an area of shale. The Owosso
Channel follows the same pattern. It heads in a sandstone high,
then traverses the Saginaw Shale to the north.

When comparing the erosive susceptibility of sandstone

and shale, it seems quite likely that a stream bed would favor the

31
more easily eroded shale. This, possibly, gives cause to the above

observations .

STRUCTURE AND LITHOLOGY

Some consideration of the interrelationship of structure
and lithology has previously been given (p. 24). -Another case in
which structure and lithology are interrelated would be that of the
sandstone underlying the city of Howell (Plate 5). This sandstone,
the Berea (Martin, 1957) is older than the surrounding
Coldwater formation and it is located very near the supposed axis
of the Howell Anticline. On the bedrock t0pographic map (Plate 1),
a very noticeable enclosed low has been contoured in the same
location. In fact the outlines of both are similar. It seems feasible
that the Berea was exposed through excessive erosion of the Coldwater
Shale, thus revealing the underlying formation. The origin of this
extensive low may be explained by its proximity to an area of defor-
mation. The city of Howell is essentially located very near the sub-
surface crest of the anticline that passes diagonally through the
county. This city drilled its water wells about 2 1/2 miles from the
center of town. This was necessary due to the fact that the water in
deep wells within the city limits was much too salty to be pgtable.
This suggests that possible jointing and fracturing is profuse in the

underlying rocks of this locality, as salt water is prone to collect in

32
areas where the joints and fractures can act as channelways for the
connate water within the surrounding rocks. Also, it was reported
to the writer that a water well drilled on the north side of the city
struck a crevice in the bedrock that necessitated drilling in a new
location. Therefore, it seems that there is substantial evidence
pointing toward quite severe fracturing in the Howell area. If this
is the case, erosion could have been accelerated, giving rise to

wasting away of the Coldwater formation and exposing of the Berea.

33

 

CONC LUSIONS

The maps, if properly used, could be an invaluable aid
to the water well drillers of the two counties, as well as an aid to
those undertaking geophysical surveys. They have given a better
understanding of the pre-glacial drainage of the area and knowledge
of the lithic character of the pre-Pleistocene bedrock surface.

It is believed that enough evidence has been presented
to strongly suggest that structure and pre -glacial drainage of the
counties are intimately related. The Howell Anticline in
Livingston County and its counterpart (?) in Shiawassee County
being the agents of direction and control upon the drainage.

Lithology and drainage also appear relative to one
another, with sandstone "highs" serving as headwater areas of the
pre-Pleistocene rivers, and bodies of shale serving as the host for
the main route of the river valleys.

The Howell structure might have had effect on some of
the minor t0pographic features, such as the bedrock low underlying
the city of Howell.

It is hoped that his study will act as a stimulus for
further exploration of the bedrock surface of Michigan and that some
of the problematical areas encountered, and as yet unsolved, will be

the centers of additional research.

34

SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY

 

It is believed additional study of the area would be very
rewarding. Several observations have been made by the author that
should be refuted or supported by additional work: (1) Are the two
limestone areas mapped on Plate 5 Bayport Limestone?; (2) Has
there been an excessive amount of fracturing in the strata below
Howell--enough to cause the pit-like erosion of the Coldwater Shale
and consequent exposing of the Berea Formation?; (3) Does the
lithologic character of the bedrock have any profound subsequent
inﬂuence on the location and direction of the pre —glacial river valleys,
at least enough so that the old river would tend to seek shale and
avoid sandstone ?; (4) Are the Howell Anticline and the Owosso
"High" unrelated as suggested by the course of the Durand Channel?;
(5) Is the sandstone body, in southeast Shiawassee County, Parma
Sandstone rather than Marshall ?; ('6) What is the pattern of pre-
glacial drainage in the adjoining counties (excluding Saginaw)? These
counties should be investigated and mapped so that an overall

picture of the pre-Pleistocene surface could be projected.

35

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Antev, Ernst, Climaxes of the last glaciation in North America,
Am. Jour. Sci. , Vol. 228, pp. 304-311, 1934.

Bretz, J. H. , Glacial Grand River, Michigan, Papers Mich. Acad.
Sci. Arts and Letters, Vol. 38, pp. 359-382, 1953.

Cohee, G. V. , Oil and gas investigations, preliminary map no. 17,
Geol. Surv. , U. S. Dept. Int. , 1944.

Ehlers, G. M. , Landes, K. K. , Cohee, G. V. , and Martin, H. M. ,
Generalized columnar section of Michigan, Mich. Dept. Cons. ,
Geol. Surv. Div. , 1948.

Fenneman, N. M. , Physiography of eastern United States, lst ed. ,
pp. 451-452, McGraw Hill Book Co. , N. Y. , 1938.

Grand, R. P. , and Pringle, G. H. , Bedrock surface for Mich.
Dept. Cons. , Geol. Surv. Div. , map no. 3585, compiled
Jan. 1, 1943.

Hough, J. L. , Geology of the Great Lakes, Univ. of 111. Press,
Urbana, pp. 278-282, 1958.

Kelly, W. A. , Pennsylvanian system in Michigan, Mich. Geol.
Surv. , Pub. 40, Geol. Series 34, pt. 2, pp. 193-198, 1936.

Kilbourne, D. E.I ,Origin and development of the Howell Anticline
in Michigan, unpub. M.S. thesis, Mich. State Univ. , 1947.

Leverett, F. , and Taylor, F. B. , The Pleistocene of Indiana and
Michigan, U. S. Geol. Surv. , Monograph 53, 1915.

Martin, Helen M. . The centennial geological map of the Southern
Peninsula of Michigan, Mich. Geol. Surv. , Pub. 39, Geol.
Series 33, compiled 1933.

, The centennial geological map of the Southern Peninsula
of Michigan, Mich. Geol. Surv. , Pub. 39, Geol. Series 33,
compiled 1933, 1957 revision.

36

, Outline of the geologic history of Shiawassee County,
Mich. Geol. Surv. , 1957.

Mudge, E. H. , Some features of pre-glacial drainage in Michigan,
Amer. Jour. Sci. , 4th series, Vol. IV, no. 23, pp. 383-386,

1897.

Newcombe, R. B. , Oil and gas development in Michigan, Mich.
Geol. Surv. , Pub. 37, pt. 2, pp. 220-224, 1928.

, Preliminary report on the Howell structure, Livingston
COunty, Michigan, Geol. Surv. Div. , Nov. 1, 1930.

, Oil and gas fields of Michigan, Mich. Geol. Surv. , Pub.
38, Geol. Series 32, pp. 205-210, 1933.

, and Lindberg, G. D. , Glacial espression of structural
features in Michigan, Bull. Amer. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. ,
Vol. 19, pt. 2, pp. 1173-1191, 1935.

Rhodehamel, E. C. , An interpretation of the pre-Pleistocene
geomorphology of a portion of the Saginaw lowland, unpub.
M.S. thesis, Mich. State Univ. , 1951.

Smith, R. A. , The occurrence of oil and gas in Michigan, Mich.
Geol. Surv. , Pub. 14, Geol. Series, 11, pp. 28-31, 1912.

Spencer, J. W. , Origins of the basins of the Great Lakes of America,
Am. Geol., Vol. 7, pp. 86-97, 1891.

, A review of the history of the Great Lakes, Am. Geol. ,
Vol. 14, no. 5, pp. 286—310, 1894.

Tarbell, E. , Antrim,. Ellsworth and Coldwater shale formations in
Michigan, Bull. Amer. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. , Vol. 25, no. 4,
pp. 724-733, 19410

APPENDIX _

38

WATER WELL DRILLERS

 

Name

 

LIVINGSTON
COUNTY

Brown, W
Howell

Goff, Charles
WhitmoreLake

Grieve , Guy
Howell

Meabon, Mar shall
Pinckney

Miller , Glen
Howell

Sorrel, R. L.
Pinckney

SHIAWASSEE
COUNTY

Archer , Charles
Chapin

Ballou, Roy
Owos so

Coles , Victor
Laingsburg

DeDen, George
Byron

Ar ea of Operation

 

Northern half of
Livingston County

Extreme SE corner of
the county

Howell and vicinity

Lower tier of
townshipsin county

Entire county

Local

NE quarterof Shiawassee
County

Entire county

Local

SE quarter of Shiawassee
County

Cornel, Sam, Jr.
Morrice

Lovejoy, R.
Swartz Creek

Newman, A.
Byron

Spears, J. E.
New Lothr0p

39

Local

Durand and vicinity

Local

Local

 

1/QC".

 

 

tiff (. 1.; Q f/chg

 

 

A